


Christmas with you

by Kiritagawa



Series: Post-Game Shukita [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Ice Skating, Joker's Mom is Bayonetta, M/M, One Year Later, THE PLANETARIUM STAR STICKERS ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, Well a Japanese Bayonetta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-27 19:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18745399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiritagawa/pseuds/Kiritagawa
Summary: Yusuke comes over for a surprise visit during the winter holidays. His reason? To deliver a gift to Akira...personally.(Now in an easier to read format!)





	1. Chapter 1

The doorbell rings. “I’ll get it, mother!”  
Akira runs over to the door to open it. He almost goes to speak a ‘hello’ but who stands before him is too shocking to utter any words.  
“Hello, Akira. Are you surprised to see me?”  
It’s Yusuke.

“Who is it, Akira?” Akira’s mother calls from somewhere else in the house. Akira leans back before replying. “My…My ‘Friend’ Yusuke is here!” He calls out. “Can he come in?” He then asks. “As long as he doesn’t stay too long!” Is the response from his mother.  
Akira then leans forward and then shuffles to the side to let Yusuke walk in. Yusuke walks in and goes to take off his shoes. “…you called me a friend?” He asks. “…the topic of relationships just never came up. Besides, I’m not sure how she’ll react. Both my parents have only recently calmed down over the whole going to Juvenile hall thing after all…” Akira explains, sounding a little sorry about it.  
“Oh. I suppose that makes sense.” Yusuke shrugs. “And it doesn’t matter right now, it seems…So, where do I sit?” He then asks, looking around the hallways of the rather plain house. “Ah, right this way.” Akira then starts walking to the left into another room. “Here. Do you want anything?” He then offers once he shows Yusuke where the sofa is. “Oh, perhaps just a drink of coffee. I don’t want to ask for too much.” Yusuke answers as he sits down. “Gotcha. I’ll be right on it.” Akira says before leaving the room.

Yusuke looks around the room, pulling out his finger framing trick in hopes to find something good to paint. Nothing comes to mind until someone else walks in the room, landing in his frame. “Oh…hello there.” Yusuke says. The woman in his frame has short black hair much like Akira’s, and while it’s still wild, it’s a lot more controlled and is clearly brushed often. She wears glasses, and Yusuke can only barely make out the grey colour of her eyes. Her attire is very casual at the moment; long sleeves, and black and blues all over. She is also surprisingly tall.  
“Hello. You must be Yusuke. My name is Chiyo Kurusu…I’m Akira’s mother.” She introduces herself. Yusuke lowers his hands. “…the resemblance is uncanny. You two look incredibly alike.” He comments. This is met with some laughter. “Well, I suppose I do look more like my son now that I’ve cut my hair.” Chiyo replies, taking a seat next to Yusuke.  
“I assume you’re one of the friends he made at Shujin?” She then asks. Yusuke shakes his head. “Not exactly…my school is Kosei High…I’m an honour student.” He explains. “Oh, then…” Chiyo trails off a bit. “How do you know him, then?” She asks. Yusuke pauses, and smiles to himself. “I ran into him and his friends on the way to school. From there…he helped me escape the cage I was trapped in, and brought me out into the world. I’ll forever be thankful for that.” He says, smiling to himself.  
Chiyo is left in a bit of awe for a moment. “…I can see why you came all this way to see him this Christmas season, then! My…All the news we get about Akira just keeps getting more and more positive. To think we dismissed him originally. I guess we still have something to learn.” She comments.  
Then Akira comes back into the room, carrying a tray of two cups of coffee. “Oh, Mother… If I knew you were going to be here, I would have made a third cup.” He comments. “But it seems like you two are hitting it off rather well.” He adds with a smile, putting the tray down on the side table. “Oh, it’s fine. What you should have done is tell me how you helped this young man here! He really treasures what you did for him…don’t let go of this friendship.” Chiyo says, gripping onto Akira’s hands.  
“…anyhoo!” She then stands up, letting go of Akira’s hands. “I should get back to the laundry! I’ll leave you two to it!” She says, then walking out the way she came in.

“…Your mother looks like you…as well as someone I feel like I’ve seen before…in some kind of media.” Yusuke comments to Akira once they’re alone. Akira laughs. “Aha, yeah. She’s been getting that a lot lately… Here.” Akira then hands Yusuke his cup of coffee. “Thank you.” Yusuke replies.  
He takes in the smell. “Ah…have you recreated the coffee of Leblanc?” He then asks before taking a sip. Akira takes his own cup and sits down next to Yusuke, nodding. “Yep. Sojiro gave me the recipe before I left. My parents love it too. I’ve insisted on going back to visit so they can try the real thing but…haven’t had any time where they’re both free as of yet.” He responds, starting to drink his own. “Mmm…how refreshing.” Yusuke says, smiling.

“Now…I actually came here since I wanted to ask you something.” Yusuke starts a new topic.  
“Oh? What is it? It must be too important to ask over text.” Akira says, then taking another sip.  
“…right. I guess it is.” Yusuke says, lowering his cup for the moment. “I wanted to spend Christmas with you, and today, I wanted to take you skating.” He explains. Akira pauses, swallowing his sip before replying. “You want to…take me on a date?” He asks, just to make sure he heard Yusuke correctly. “…I guess you could put it that way.” Yusuke nods. “Are you free to go now? That’s why I’m here, to take you to the nearby rink…”  
“Well, it’s sudden…but I haven’t got any other plans. If it’s alright with my mother, I should be fine to go.” Akira says.


	2. Chapter 2

The two finish their coffee and then Akira stands up. “Alright. Go get ready, I’ll tell my mother and then we’ll be off. Wait for me at the door.” Akira says. He takes the empty cups and the tray and heads back to the kitchen. Yusuke was slightly taken aback by how quickly Akira jumped up into action, but he too gets up and heads to the door upon making sure he hasn’t dropped anything.  
Once Akira puts the cups in the sink and the tray on the side for the moment, he then heads to the laundry. Thankfully, his mother is still there so he doesn’t have to look further.  
“Oh, Akira…what is it?” Chiyo asks, turning around upon hearing Akira enter.“Sorry if this is too out of the blue, but…Yusuke has invited me on a da-OUTING to uh…skate, you know, at the ice rink they set up. He said it would be his Christmas present for me. You trust me to stay safe, right?” Akira explains the situation briefly. Chiyo ponders the thought for just a moment, but ends up nodding. “Of course. Just make sure you’re back before it gets too dark. Traffic around this time of the year at night can make things dangerous.” She warns.  
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell Yusuke when to leave!” Akira says. He then heads for the door after grabbing a few things from his room and stuffing them into a bag he slings around his shoulder.

“Are you ready to head out, Akira?” Yusuke asks.  
Akira nods. “Yes, let’s go.” He replies. Slipping into his shoes, Akira then opens the door and heads out. Yusuke following. Akira closes the door once they’re both outside. “…so, how are we going to get there?” Akira then asks. “I can drive in the real world now, but…not without supervision.” He sighs a bit. “Wait, how did you get here, then?” He questions Yusuke.  
“Well, I’ve actually been saving up since we drove you out here earlier this year. I used some of the money to ride one of those…services. Uber…I think it was? It turned out cheaper than a Taxi, and I couldn’t find a quicker route through train lines.” Yusuke explains.  
“…So, how are we going to get to the rink?” Akira then asks.  
“…can we walk? And I do have enough for a bus fare.” Yusuke says. Akira sighs again. “Alright, I’ll lead the way to the closest stop. Come.” He then grabs Yusuke’s hand to pull him along to get them both going. Yusuke stumbles slightly but quickly adjusts himself to keep pace with Akira.

“So…what have you been up to all this time?” Yusuke asks, not wanting to walk in awkward silence.  
“What I’ve been up to…” Akira starts to ponder. “Well, I finished my last year of school here, but I’m not exactly sure about what I want to do now…I know I’ll probably go to higher education, but what path…” He answers. Yusuke looks at him, a little surprised. “You don’t have a plan? That’s…” Yusuke trails off. “Someone not knowing what to do is a foreign concept to me, I’ve wanted to go down the path of art all my life.” Yusuke comments, then shaking his head. “But I know that’s not for you. Maybe I could help you discover your calling. Would that help?” He then offers.   
Akira lights up. “Help me find my calling? I’d love your help, thank you!” He says, smiling up at Yusuke, and squeezing his hand a little bit. He then sighs softly. “I was so busy helping everyone find out what they want to do that I forgot to help myself. Funny how that works.” He adds. He trails off, then looks ahead. “Ah, there’s the stop! Let’s start waiting. It shouldn’t take long for a bus to arrive, make sure you have your money ready.” Akira says, picking up the pace, causing Yusuke to stumble again.

Once they are at the stop, Akira let’s go of Yusuke’s hand to rummage through his bag for some money. Yusuke is quick to do the same, carefully counting his money to make sure he doesn’t pull out more than necessary, glancing at the money in Akira’s hand for reference. Yusuke sits down on the bench after a minute of waiting. “Come on, it shouldn’t be much longer…” Akira huffs, tapping his foot.   
Within one more minute, the Bus arrives. “Alright Yusuke, let’s get on!” He calls, walking toward the bus to get on. Yusuke sits up and follows, clutching his yen tightly. Akira pays first and finds two empty seats, taking the window seat. Yusuke then pays for his ticket in awkward silence, not really finding it necessary to speak during the transaction. Once he has his ticket, he looks around to see where Akira sat himself. He quickly spots the fluffy black hair and goes to sit in the second seat. He looks out the window as well.  
“How often do you take this form of travel, Akira?” Yusuke asks.  
“Well, not often. I’ve always taken a bike to school, mainly for exercise purposes insisted by my parents. It’s nice to just ride and look around you though, isn’t it?” Akira replies, turning his head to smile at Yusuke. “Quite. I always took in the scenery in Mementos while you and Makoto drove around. However, it was all quite gloomy and somewhat disturbing as you know…this is a nice change of pace. A lively community filled with colour.” Yusuke replies, then going to try and finger frame the scenery. Akira chuckles softly at the finger framing. “Don’t change that about you, Yusuke…”

The two enjoy a quiet ride, both looking out the window as the bus drives along. Akira only jumps up after a few minutes. “There’s the rink. Let’s get off next stop.” Akira says. He gets up in preparation to get off. Yusuke remains seated, only awkwardly getting up after him. The bus reaches its next stop after half a minute. The bus door opens and Akira goes to head out, Yusuke following after him.“Thank you!” Akira says to the bus driver. Yusuke stops before he exits, and turns around to say “Thanks.” To the bus driver as well. Once they’re both out, the Bus then drives off.   
Akira points towards the rink. “There. It’s not far to walk. Let’s go!”   
Yusuke nods in response, this time being the initiator, grabbing Akira’s hand and starting to walk first. Akira is caught by surprise and almost falls, but leans into Yusuke to prevent that. Yusuke stops and the two laugh for a bit. “Did I head off too fast?” Yusuke asks. “Oh, no. It’s fine. I just wasn’t paying attention.” Akira answers, smiling at him. “But if you’re feeling up for it, we can race there.” He then suggests. Yusuke chuckles. “If you insist. I won’t hold back!” After letting go of Akira’s hand, Yusuke then runs off. Akira smiles and runs right after Yusuke.


	3. Chapter 3

They arrive at the entrance, Yusuke arriving first. He’s looking at the prices. “That much for an hour…and for two, it’s cheaper than paying twice for one hour…” He mutters to himself. Akira walks up next to him, and pulls out his phone to check the time. “…I could go for two hours. How about you?” Akira asks, then looking up at Yusuke. “Well, I think I can afford it…and it’s a better deal than one hour. I’ll do it.” Yusuke decides with a nod. He pulls his bag close to his face to get out the money needed, and Akira copies him. After paying for the session - the next one slated to start in just 10 minutes - they go to get some skates after being pointed to where they are.

“Now…where’s my size? Hrm…” Yusuke mumbles, trying to look for skates that are big enough. Akira on the other hand doesn’t struggle for too long to find skates that match his size and goes to put them on.  
Yusuke eventually finds a singular pair that match his shoe size, and takes the stakes to a bench to put them on. Akira has already got his on and is waddling about. “Yusuke, do you want help?” Akira offers.   
“Huh? Oh, help with putting on the skates…I suppose I could use it.” Yusuke nods, blushing lightly as Akira takes his right foot. “Oh, nice choice in socks, Yusuke.” Akira comments as he pushes the first skate on. Yusuke’s blush deepens and he remains silent. His socks were designed to look like Van Goh’s Starry Night painting, and they’re one of his favourites. It makes his heart flutter to see that Akira seems to like them as well.  
Once both skates are tied on, Akira stands up, only wobbling slightly. He then holds his hand out for Yusuke to take. Yusuke grabs hold and Akira pulls him up. Yusuke doesn’t seem to wobble at all. The two then hear a fake-ish sounding bell noise, clearly signalling the start or end of something. It must be the session changeover. “I think that’s the signal. Let’s get in the rink.”

The two walk into the Rink. Changing the ground from solid to slippery seems to take a short while for Akira to adjust to, but Yusuke seems completely fine, as if he’s done it before.  
“Wh…how are you-?” Akira asks, clutching onto the side barrier of the rink.  
“How am I what?” Yusuke asks back.  
“How are you not wobbling at all?” Akira asks again.  
“Oh, that…I suppose I get it from my father…Skate with me, I’ll tell you what I learnt.” Yusuke then holds out his hand as support for Akira. Akira grabs hold of Yusuke’s wrist with both hands and skates closer. Yusuke then starts skating forward at a slow pace, planning for a simple ‘lap’ route.

“…after we left you at home, I decided to look into who my parents were…moreso my father than my mother, as I at least know what she did and how she died. My father was a professional figure skater. No one truly memorable but he was clearly talented and could have taken to the Olympics if he wished. I don’t know how he met my mother, but they did get married. When he was thirty four, he retired. Partially due to his age, and partially due to the fact that my mother was pregnant with me. He wanted to be there all the time for me, from what I understand.” Yusuke pauses. “…Well, the main thing I wanted to say is that…I probably adapted quickly to the ice thanks to my father. After all, I got the talent for art from my mother, it only makes sense to take a bit of Ice Skating talent from my father.” He briefs.  
Akira nods, smiling. “I’m glad you did something like that with your time, Yusuke. It sounds like you enjoyed learning about your parents. Per-AH!” Akira almost slips, but Yusuke helps keep him steady so he can continue talking. “Thanks…now, as I was saying…perhaps that’s why I was so good using a gun in the Metaverse…my mother often tells me tales about her sharpshooting, and why she doesn’t mind going through the process to renew her license every few years.”  
“That’s fascinating. I can see her being useful as an officer.” Yusuke says.

Yusuke then slowly slips out of Akira’s grip. “Now, Let’s see if you can balance on your own. If you’re about to fall, I’ll catch you.” He says. Akira wobbles a bit but nods. “Now then…watch my feet and copy my movements. You should get the hang of it in no time. It is you, after all.” Yusuke says with another smile.   
He skates off, making sure to be slow. He stops and turns back around after skating a short distance, acting like a goal for Akira to reach. Having watched Yusuke’s movements, Akira practices the movements without moving at first. After nodding, he puts them into action. He’s a bit slow at first, but quickly gets the hang of it. As he approaches Yusuke, he holds his arms out and puts a wide smile on. Once he’s close enough, he goes for the hug. Thinking Akira was about to fall, Yusuke holds his arms out as well out of worry, but ends up hugging him back in a way, and then the two start to spin. Akira laughs as they come to a stop, then letting go of Yusuke.   
“…do you want to go again?” Yusuke asks, just to make sure. “What? Oh, no. I’ve got the hang of it!” Akira replies, giving Yusuke a wide grin. Yusuke gives him an unsure look. “Are you sure? You looked like you were going to fall.” Yusuke comments. “Did it look like that? Sorry… Well, the idea _was_ to fall into your arms.” Akira says with a bit of a laugh. “Oh, was that it? Well then…how about we do a few laps?” Yusuke offers. “Then I think a little dance on the ice won’t hurt.” He adds. To this, Akira nods enthusiastically. “Let’s do it!” He says, quickly skating off at a surprising speed. It’s not too fast but something not expected of a beginner. “…oh my.” Yusuke softly laughs to himself and skates after Akira, but at a much more casual pace.  
Akira laps him at least twice. Before Akira can lap him once more, Yusuke grabs hold of his hand as he comes to pass him. Yusuke skates along with Akira to keep up. Akira notices Yusuke’s weight, and stops for the moment. “Yusuke? What are you doing?” Akira asks, a little confused. Yusuke swipes some hair out of his eyes before he answers. “...I’d rather make sure you’re nearby while we just skate around, I've decided. Is that too much to ask?” Yusuke responds. Akira looks him up and down, pondering on how to respond. He chooses to give in. “Alright, just make sure to blend in.”

The two skate laps. No one seems to bat an eye. Yusuke listens to the faint music that’s being played, and it gets louder the closer to the source he gets, but not by much. Akira is careful not to trip or bump into anyone, especially Yusuke. After completing ten laps around the rink, Yusuke digs the blades on his skates into the ice a little bit to break, to make sure Akira stops as well. Akira does indeed stop, turning around to look at Yusuke. “I think that’s enough laps. You promised me a dance after that.” Yusuke says.  
As if it was planned, the faint music playing changes to something more romantic. Akira turns a little red. “…I suppose I did. Let’s not do anything too wild, though.” Akira says. He then flinches a little bit as Yusuke holds out his hand. Akira looks around and then places his hand on Yusuke’s. “Let’s see how we handle this…Dancing on ice. With the blades, we can’t be too close.” Akira says, as a bit of a warning as he looks down. Yusuke uses his free hand to lift Akira’s face back up. “Don’t worry, Akira. I’ll be sure to be careful for both our sakes. Let’s just enjoy this.”

It’s awkward trying to find good footing at first, but once they’re holding each other’s hand and facing each other, it starts going well. Yusuke tries to start some movements, but can’t find a good space to place his feet. Akira finds an opening for movement, skating to the side. Yusuke is quick to replicate this to keep up with Akira. The two swing their arms side to side, and often change directions of where they’re skating. They even manage to pull off a few spins. However, on one of the spins, their grip loosens enough and Akira goes spinning into the crowd. Yusuke is a little distraught at first, but Akira simply comes skating back, whilst impressively balancing on one leg. Once close enough, Akira grabs one of Yusuke’s hands. “Twirl me!” He requests with a bit of a laugh. Yusuke quickly obliges. He lifts his arm up and starts to slowly spin Akira. He doesn’t do it too fast and doesn’t let it last too long, not wanting Akira to get dizzy. Akira then leans back, and Yusuke goes to catch him. Akira laughs a little bit as Yusuke grabs hold and pulls him in close. With that, the song is over, and it changes to a different song.

The two then look around, quickly putting some distance between themselves as to not awkwardly linger in the mood of the previous song.  
“…perhaps if it was just us, we could have done a bit more.” Yusuke ponders out loud. Akira nods. “Yeah, I would have liked to get a bit more wild myself.” Akira agrees. “Well. We still have time to spend here. Let’s skate around the edge and see how the scenery changes…” He then suggests. Yusuke smiles warmly. “Ah…how did I not think of that? Let’s get to it.”


	4. Chapter 4

The remainder of the two hours flies by, as things often do when you’re enjoying them. A fake bell ring sounds to signal another half hour change.  
“…that makes two hours since we’ve been here, Yusuke. It’s time to head back and return the skates.” Akira says.  
  
Yusuke is in the middle of the rink, finger framing again. “J-just one more moment! I need to make sure my mind captures this…” He pleads. Akira waits exactly two seconds before grabbing Yusuke’s clothes and gently tugging on him to get him to move. Yusuke drops the frame with a sigh and begins to skate to the exit alongside Akira. Once out of the rink, the two waddle over to one of the benches to untie and take off their skates and then go to put them back on the shelf. Akira gets his off and puts his skates back first, and retrieves both his and Yusuke’s pairs of shoes. Yusuke only finishes taking off his skates once Akira comes back with their shoes. “You tied these on pretty tight, Akira. I’m impressed.” Yusuke says. He sees Akira has his shoes and lights up. “Oh, thank you!” He takes his pair and puts them on himself, this time rather quickly. He then picks up his skates.  “I’ll put these back then come back to you. Then we should head back.”   
Akira nods to that, now taking a seat again to put his shoes on. Yusuke comes back once he’s done.

Akira then stands up. “So, we’re heading back to my home? Are you sure?” He asks. “It’s only four…”  
Yusuke goes quiet, now thinking. “Hm…well, what do you suggest we do?”  
“Are you hungry? We could have an early dinner…or something.” Akira suggests.  
“…well, I suppose I am quite hungry. But…do you not have anything planned for dinner at home?” Yusuke asks.   
“I’m actually on cooking duty…but I haven’t thought of what to cook. I think if I eat, it’ll be easier for me to think of something to cook for dinner. That way, I’ll only need to think of what’s enough for two people instead of three or four.” Akira replies, trying to make early dinner sound like a good idea. “That, and if we were to have dinner now, places wouldn’t have too many people…who eats out at four in the afternoon on the day before Christmas Eve, anyway?” Akira jokes.  
“…that’s oddly specific. What are you implying?” Yusuke can’t help but question, looking quite baffled. Akira sighs softly. “You know what, never mind. Let’s just find a place to eat.”

Akira then grabs Yusuke by the hand and pulls him along. Yusuke stumbles again but keeps up with Akira’s jog pace. Akira takes a left and leads Yusuke down a street. There are two visible restaurants and a cafe. He slows once he approaches the first restaurant.  
“Here…you can pick where we eat. This one has some nice Italian food. I don’t know the owner personally but I hear he came here from Italy because he fell in love with a woman that lived here after talking to her online.” Akira briefs. Yusuke looks at the restaurant up and down. “Italian food…I can’t say I’ve had any. Is it good?”  
“Well…some of it looks like noodles. Taste is hard to describe, though. They use a lot of tomatoes from what I recall.” Akira tries to explain.  
“I see…and our other options?” Yusuke asks.“Well then, let’s keep walking.”

Akira leads Yusuke down a little more, then points across the street. “That’s the cafe. This one focuses on tea more than it does coffee, which is actually good for me, since I can’t help but compare all coffee to Leblanc’s nowadays…it’s becoming kind of a problem for me.” Akira explains, rambling a little bit.  
“And for the food?” Yusuke asks.  
“Oh, right. It’s uh…mostly stuff like cakes as snacks and rolls.” Akira quickly explains. “And I assume you want to see the last restaurant?” He adds. Yusuke simply nods to this, and Akira then leads Yusuke down the footpath a little bit more. “This other restaurant is just a sushi place. I don’t think I have enough for more than one roll for myself right now. Although the Sushi is nice…my parents took me here for my fifteenth birthday.” Akira says, trying to flavour the explanation with some trivia.   
“I see. Well, in that case…I’ll have to try the Italian food. After all, if the shrimp from Hawaii is anything to go by, this Italian food should be quite resplendent too.” Yusuke says, nodding to himself. “Right then. Let’s head back and see if they have any tables. They should…it didn’t look packed at a glance.” Akira nods as well, pulling Yusuke along once more.

Upon entering the restaurant, there are only about two other groups of people in there. A group of three and a group of four, and one looks like they’ve almost finished eating. They don’t even have to ask for a table. A waitress walks up to them and asks “Table for two?” Before leading them to a table that hosts two, but only after getting a nod from Akira. The two sits down and pick the menus up from the table.  
“…Pasta…it’s not just one dish, but a whole category. Fascinating.” Yusuke hums as he reads the menu. Akira smiles to himself at that, looking at his own menu. “Just make sure you can afford it before deciding on it.”

After some silence, the waitress comes back, ready to take their orders.  
Akira is first to list is order. “I’ll have the beef lasagne, please.”  
Yusuke almost coughs out nothing, but he manages to answer without too much delay. “Just the…Spaghetti…Neapolitan…please.” He answers, wanting to make sure he’s saying it right. “Any drinks?” The waitress then asks. “Just some water, thank you.” Akira answers on behalf of both of them. He then grabs both menus and hands them to the waitress, and she proceeds to walk off.

For the moment, they were alone, in a sense.  
“So…how have you enjoyed today so far, Akira?” Yusuke asks.  
“I’ve been enjoying myself! Although, I think anything is enjoyable when I’m with you.” Akira answers, putting on a cheesy grin. This causes Yusuke to blush a little bit. “…I’m glad you see me as good company, Akira.” Yusuke chuckles softly. Then Yusuke seems to have noticed something on the wall. “Ah…there are artworks from renaissance-era to decorate this place. However, they’re clearly replicas, and the original artworks are where they should be…I wonder if they have any of Da Vinci’s work here. Speaking of Da Vinci, did you know…”   
Akira just listens to Yusuke ramble about art. When they first met, it was somewhat annoying, but overtime, Akira has learnt that Yusuke is genuinely passionate about it and is part of who he is. That, and his knowledge about art has become very interesting to listen to, and Akira feels like he learns something every time Yusuke talks about it.  
“…and there is a set of characters from an American cartoon are named after four renaissance artists, one of them named after Da Vinci. I…cannot remember the show, however.”  
“That’s…fascinating. You never cease to amaze me with what you know, Yusuke.” Akira comments, having a bit of a dreamy look on his face.

Yusuke must have been talking for quite a while, as Akira’s meal arrives as well as two glasses of water. “Thank you!” He says to the waitress, then picking up the fork that was on his right. “Ah, it smells great!”  
Before Akira can dig his fork into his food, Yusuke speaks up. “Wait for just a moment, please!” He requests. He then pulls out the finger frame to look at Akira’s lasagne. He tilts the frame occasionally. “It’s almost like a kind of cake. There are multiple layers to it, all repeated in a pattern, but it is eventually topped off with something decorative, that also looks quite fluffy…foreign food is quite interesting. I wonder how high this food has ever been stacked?”  
Before Yusuke can ramble on for too long, his food also arrives. “Oh, much appreciated.” Yusuke replies, then moving his frame above his food. “…It does look similar to noodles, but you can clearly tell the two are different. The smell and colour give it away…”  
“Just don’t forget to eat it, alright?” Akira reminds him, now taking a piece of his lasagne so he can start eating it himself. He seems content once the food enters his mouth. Yusuke eventually lowers his hands, but only after framing Akira for a bit and seeing him quite happy to be eating the food. He grabs his own fork and then stabs it into the bowl. “Now…you twist it…if I recall.” He mutters. He spins the fork about for a second and then pulls it out. Most of the spaghetti falls at first so he tries again. Akira notices this and snorts a little bit, but only after swallowing his current mouthful.

The two eat in near silence, mainly because they don’t want to spit any food out or have it go down the wrong hole. Yusuke finishes his food first, mainly because he ate huge chunks of the spaghetti at once, which actually impressed Akira. Akira only finishes his meal about a minute later, and he stacks the plates and cutlery afterwards. He also finishes his glass for a wave of refreshment.  
“Mmm…Thank you for showing me this place, Akira. I’m glad we ate here…how long have we been here, anyway?” Yusuke says, the looking around again.  
“Ah, right. The time…” From his bag, Akira pulls his phone it. “…just as I suspected, it’s about five right now. More people are probably going to come in soon…I’ve seen a few have already.” He comments, then putting his phone back. “How much was your meal? If you give me your cost, I’ll go pay for both of us.” He then stands up. “Oh, of course.” Yusuke pulls his bag close to his chest to get some money out, counting the exact amount that’s needed before carefully handing it to Akira. Akira takes hold of the cash before going up to the counter to pay.   
Yusuke is left alone for the moment. Not knowing what to do to waste the short time, he starts using his finger frame again to look around the restaurant. However, he only has it fall back on Akira, watching him pay and then walk back. Holding back a laugh, Akira pokes his face though Yusuke’s frame. “Are you ready to go?”  
Yusuke almost jumps back, and he goes a bit pink. “Oh…yes.” He answers with a nod, lowering his hands again and standing up, then pushing his chair in. “I assume we go back to your place now? Before it gets too dark?” He then asks as they begin to walk out. Akira replies with a nod. “Yeah. I’ll take you to a bus stop.”

The two walk Akira grabbing onto Yusuke’s hand once they’re outside, not wanting him to fall behind.  
“Alright, so we take a left here…” Akira mutters, continuing to pull Yusuke. “Ah, there! Is that it?” Yusuke points to a bus seating area. “Good eye, Yusuke. Let’s head over. Hopefully the bus will be here shortly.” Akira comments, running over to the bus stop, Yusuke almost stumbling again at the change in speed.  
  
Once they arrive at the stop, Akira takes a seat and Yusuke stays standing next to the sign. Yusuke pulls out his finger frame again, wanting to get a look of his surroundings. Akira silently watches his boyfriend, making sure to be quiet as to not disturb him. Yusuke even squats a little bit to get a lower angle.  
“Yusuke, the bus!” Akira says as he sees it from around the corner, standing up to get ready, as well as getting some money ready.   
Yusuke doesn’t seem to notice until the bus is right in front of him.   
“Oh.”

A young girl and her mother walk off, looking at Yusuke as he gets up from his crouched position. The young girl giggles, and Yusuke gives her a bit of a confused look. “Let’s just…get on the bus, Yusuke.” Akira says, walking up to him, looking a little embarrassed for him. To save Yusuke time and some money, Akira hands him the yen he got out and pushes Yusuke on the bus first. He follows on and gets some more money out for his own ticket. A little stunned, Yusuke is frozen for a few seconds before paying for his ticket. He looks around, and there doesn’t seem to be any seats this time. He walks toward the middle of the bus to stand. Akira pays for his ticket after Yusuke and goes to stand next to him in a hurry. Despite his efforts, the bus starts moving before he can grab onto anything. Yusuke catches him with his free arm before Akira can crash into anything. “You alright?” Yusuke asks, gently pulling him up to stand. “…Yeah. Thank you.” Akira replies, pushing his glasses back up, partially to hide his blushing.   
The ride is a lot more plain as they now have to focus on when to stop as well as keeping upright. However, Akira felt like someone saw how Yusuke caught him and got a little too excited, as he often heard girly giggling from the back of the bus. Thankfully, they get to their stop before Akira can think too deep about it. They get off the bus, Akira now leading the way back to his home. He pulls Yusuke along, and this time Yusuke doesn’t stumble.

Once they’re at the doorstep, Akira goes to knock to be let in. He stops himself however.

“…Akira?” Yusuke says, a little confused.  
“I almost forgot something.” 

Akira turns to face Yusuke. He pushes himself up on his tip toes so his lips can plant a kiss on Yusuke’s. Yusuke goes beetroot red, but quickly relaxes into the embrace.  
The kiss can’t hold forever, though. Akira slowly pulls away and lowers himself back down. “…thank you for today, Yusuke. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a while. It made me realise how much I’ve missed you guys, and that I…that I…” Akira trails off, unable to find the words.

“…I love you too, Akira.” Yusuke replies.  
Akira goes silent, now red himself. He just nods.


	5. Chapter 5

Akira then goes to actually knock. “Mother! We’re home!” He calls.  
There’s footsteps and then the door opens. “Welcome home!” Chiyo says with a smile. “Ah, you’re both red! What happened?” She questions.  
“Oh, are we? Aha…” Akira tries to laugh it off. “We…we ran here. We…wanted to get here before sundown.” He lies, trying to make himself sound sort of out of breath. “A-anyway…once I have some water, I’ll get right to cooking dinner. Oh, and can Yusuke help?” He asks. Yusuke is taken by surprise but doesn’t say anything to object, not wanting to be rude. “I’m fine with that! Is Yusuke up for it, though?” Chiyo responds, turning to look at Yusuke. “Oh…I’m fine with it.” Yusuke answers. Chiyo smiles at that. “Wonderful! Oh yes, Akira…your father called, he says he’ll be a little late, so make sure whatever you can cook can be stored in the fridge!”  
“Oh right…your father…can you brief me on him so I’m ready to meet him?” Yusuke asks, looking at Akira.  
“Right, of course.” Akira nods, clasping his hands together. “Three main things…his name is Ryou, he’s kind of pushy, and only my mother is allowed to tease him about anything, otherwise he gets a little heated. Now, onto cooking.” After answering, Akira goes to wash his hands in the sink and then grab a sakura-patterned apron.   
“Let’s start with the rice…My mother has another apron in that cupboard, however, it’s a little bit…”  
Yusuke finds the other apron. It’s a blinding bright pink colour, with neon green dots. Yusuke squints his eyes just to look at it. “…your mother must be colour blind in certain occasions.” He sighs, quickly putting it on so he doesn’t have to look directly at it for much longer. “So, what exactly are we making?” He then asks.  
Akira goes silent. “…I’ll check the fridge.”  
As Akira opens the fridge, he flinches a bit. “No wonder we didn’t have lunch…there isn’t much. I should remind mother to go shopping tomorrow…” He mutters. “Now, uh…we have salmon and enough ingredients for Yakitori…and I think it’s possible to make a few servings of Miso Soup. Let’s try our best. I’ll start getting the ingredients out.”  
“Right, I’ll do what I can.” Yusuke says, having just finished washing his hands. He shakes them dry and then pulls out his phone to check for the recipe step-by-step. He frowns a little bit before putting his phone back. “Right, where’s the rice?”

In another room, Chiyo is doing some ironing. The laundry from earlier is now all dry and she’s gotten halfway through the pile of it. She stopped to answer the door but has now started again. She hums to the rhythm of what can be recognised as Green Hill Zone. Any noises she hears from the kitchen she chooses to ignore.   
The sound of pots falling to the floor don’t bother her.  
“IT’S DONE, TURN IT OFF!” Doesn’t worry her.  
Confused screaming is nothing to her either.

The only thing that gets her to leave her work is a knock at the door. “Ah!” She stops ironing some pants to go get the door, quickly to pull it open. “Akira! Your father is home!” She calls to the kitchen.  
“HOLD ON, WE’RE ALMOST DONE!” Akira yells back.  
Instead of a normal return-home greeting, Ryou gives a confused look to his wife. “…we?”  
Chiyo is quiet for a bit, and then she lights up and clasps her hands together. “Oh, right! Akira’s friend came over! He’s helping Akira cook! Yusuke….Kita…Kitagawa? I think that’s his full name. Akira called him Yusuke at the door. He’s mentioned him before to us?”  
“Kitagawa…it does sound familiar.” Ryou mutters to himself. “Well, I’ll greet Akira myself then get into something more comfortable.” He takes his shoes off and puts his bag down before walking into the kitchen. Both boys freeze as they hear him walk in. While the kitchen isn’t a mess, there are a lot of pots, most having some kind of food in it. Yusuke is finger framing the sight of the pots and is holding empty plates.“O-oh! Hello father!” Akira greets him. This causes Yusuke to turn around, still finger framing. “Oh, hello mister Ryou Kurusu! I’m Yusuke Kitagawa…” Yusuke introduces himself. He quickly analyses Ryou’s appearance. His hair is dark brown, loose and wavy, and is long enough to reach his cheeks. A pale complexion, and his grey eyes look tinted blue with the right lighting. He is clearly shorter than his wife, but not by too much.  
“Um, hello.” He awkwardly says back. “…Akira, what is he doing?”  
“The…finger framing? Yeah, he does that a lot. He’s the artist friend I’ve told you about.” Akira says, putting the plates down on the table. “Now! We shouldn’t be too much longer! Everything has been cooked, so now we just have to prepare it! We’ll get you when we’re done!” He then changes the topic to try and get Ryou out of the room. “Well, alright…” Ryou replies, awkwardly walking out of the room.

Akira sighs with relief. “Let’s just finish this, then we can retreat to my room once we’ve cleaned up…oh, right, I haven’t said that you want to stay the night. I’ll get something organised.”  
“One thing at a time, Akira. I’ll make sure these meals look extremely appetising. You can start cleaning.” Yusuke says in a calming tone.  
“…Yeah. I’ll do just that.” Akira nods. He starts moving the used kitchenware into the dishwasher as Yusuke removes them of the food. This process takes only a few minutes until they’re finished. Yusuke finger frames his work, which now rest on two wooden trays. “…I assume you’ll take these to your parents? I’ll make sure everything is packed away in here if that is the case.”  
“Ah, yeah. I’ll do that…after you’re done.” Akira nods, untying and then putting the slightly stained apron on one of the chairs. “Oh, and make sure to put the aprons in the laundry.”

Akira only waits a few more seconds before Yusuke lowers his hands, allowing Akira to grab the trays and taking them to his parents. He finds his mother first, still ironing. “Mother? Where do you want your dinner?” Akira asks, looking about for where to place it.  
“Oh just leave it in the kitchen. I’ll come get it.” Chiyo says. “Thank you for bringing it to me, though!” As she moves the current article of clothing across the ironing board a bit, she gently pinches Akira’s cheeks, since he’s close enough. “You’re so thoughtful.” She says, wagging her hand a bit before letting go. “Thank you motherrr…” Akira says, a little embarrassed. He then heads to locate his father.   
Ryou ends up being in the living room.  
“Dinner is ready, father.” He says. “There wasn’t much to work with so I hope this is sufficient.” He adds, holding out one of the trays. Ryou carefully takes the tray and gives Akira a nod. “Understandable, thank you…ah, the presentation is quite beautiful, it’s almost going to be a shame to eat it.” Ryou comments.  
“Thank you too for the compliment! Oh. Before I forget…Yusuke doesn’t have a way to get back home, and it’s a little bit late for him to…so I was thinking he could stay the night? I can host him in my room. I’ll set it up myself!” Akira brings up, trying not to sound nervous as he asks it.

“…as long as he’s quiet.” Ryou replies after pondering for half a minute. Akira’s eyes twinkle. “Thank you, Father! I’ll promise that he’s quiet. We won’t make a sound.” Akira then heads back to the kitchen, Yusuke also having just walked back in, likely having just walked back in from a trip to the laundry. Akira places the tray back on the table. “Two things, my mother will pick this up from here once she’s finished ironing, and you can stay the night as long as we don’t make too much noise.” Akira is quick to tell Yusuke.  
“Ah, that’s wonderful! But…I assume your bed can only host one person on it, so where will I-“ Yusuke is cut off before he can finish the question. “It’ll be fine, we can both fit on it, I’m sure. Now let me take you to my room.”


	6. Chapter 6

Without warning, Akira grabs Yusuke’s hand and pulls him towards the room. Yusuke only barely avoids crashing into the corners along the way.  
“Welcome to my bedroom!” Akira announces over-dramatically as he turns on the light.Yusuke looks around, wanting to take in as much as possible.

The first thing to catch his eye is the nude statue he remembers giving to Akira when they went to the gallery in Ueno. He almost can’t believe it’s stayed in one piece. Then his eye tilts up to the shelf. There’s several books and game cases and the like, but then there’s familiar items…a fake bowl of ramen, a hero figurine, the Hamaya he gave to Akira at the shrine, a large mug, and a few others. Then there’s a desk where he keeps his laptop as well as a modern-looking lamp and presumably did his homework on. His bed has a red and grey patterned colour blanket over it, with there large white pillows, and then he has an old TV with a PS1 and Gamecube set up in a small cabinet.  
“I try to keep it tidy.” Akira says, chuckling softly as he closes the door.

Yusuke ponders the thought that something is missing. Akira notices this after turning to look at Yusuke’s expression.  
“…the star stickers are up there.” Akira says, pointing upward as he switches off the light.  
Yusuke looks up, his eyes light up. The stickers are placed all about the ceiling, and they’re all faintly glowing…no, twinkling. “…every time I feel lonely…I just look up at these stars and I’m reminded of you.” Akira says with a warm smile. He lets Yusuke continue to look for a little longer before he closes the door and then goes over to his desk to turn the lamp on. It’s not as bright as the ceiling light, but it still lights up most of the room. The orange-tinted light coming from it isn’t too harsh either so it’s easy on the eyes.  
“Feel free to take off a few layers here…if you’re in need of sleep ware, I think I can borrow a spare from my mother’s wardrobe. Out of the three of us, she seems closest to your size…” Akira says, picking up his laptop. “But most importantly, get comfy on the bed with me! We’re going to say hello to a certain someone…” He then falls onto the bed.  
Yusuke gives an unsure look at first, but crawls over Akira and takes his place on the bed. It fits them both with room to spare, despite how it’s seemingly designed to fit only one person. “Might I ask who this…certain someone is?” Yusuke asks.   
Akira opens the laptop and laughs. “Nope. You’ll just have to find out.”

As Akira starts up the laptop, Yusuke takes off his jacket and folds it, placing it at his feet. He then watches Akira go clicking and typing away. Akira then starts trying to call someone called ‘Ora-baba’. The name feels familiar but Yusuke can’t put a finger on it. The name’s meaning only comes to him when the called picks up. It’s Futaba.  
“Hey Akira!” She greets with a wave. Akira waves back. “Nice seeing you, Futaba. I’m glad your free-“  
“Dude, is that my guy? It’s that MY GUY I HEAR?” An off-screen voice calls. The owner of the voice then buts in next to Futaba, showing that it’s Ryuji. “Duuuuude! What a fateful day!” He laughs happily.  
“It’s nice seeing you too, Ryuji. But uh…why are you with Futaba?” Akira asks.  
“Oh! I convinced Sojiro to take me to spend Christmas with Ryuji and his mom! He doesn’t live too far off so Sojiro isn’t worried about me. Isn’t that cool?” Futaba explains with a grin. “Yep! Futaba and I have been playing video games all day…she keeps kicking my ass.” Ryuji adds, looking a little embarrassed. Then he finally notices Yusuke peeking over Akira. “Hey uh…what’s Yusuke doing with you?” He asks.  
“Oh, Yusuke! Have I been blocking you? Here…” Akira rolls over. He’s no longer lying on his side, now his stomach, but head still faces the screen. Yusuke chooses to awkwardly lie atop him before he answers Ryuji. “I came here to spend Christmas with Akira, much like Futaba is with you…”  
“He took me on a date.” Akira adds, snickering.  
“Woah dude, for real?!” Ryuji’s eyes widen. “Oh come on, you’re acting like you didn’t know they were dating, Ryuji! Akira told us before we had to leave!” Futaba huffs a bit. “That’s not it, Futaba! I’m just…Yusuke was the initiator? With his money problems?” Ryuji comments.  
Yusuke frowns. “I’ll have you know I’ve been saving for this outing all year.”  
“And I’m glad you did, Yusuke. Today was amazing.” Akira says. “Shall I tell you the tale?” He offers. “Well, it’s gotta be more interesting than me explaining how Futaba keeps winning…have at it.” Ryuji says, leaning back to relax.

“Well, he showed up without warning at around one in the afternoon.” Akira starts. “After letting him in, he tells me he wants to take me out on a date to the skating rink. I convinced my mother to let me go out, then we took a bus to the rink. We skated about for two hours. Yusuke looked pretty graceful on the ice…” Akira trails off, sighing dreamily.  
Futaba giggles in response. “See, Ryuji? That’s what a man in love looks like.” She teases. “Come on, dude. That can’t be it.” Ryuji says, frowning a little bit because Akira is taking a while to continue.  
“Spending time on the rink gave me a nice idea for a painting. And it was a peaceful time just…skating with him. Although I wish we were alone. I’d like to see what moves we could do.” Yusuke says, looking just as dreamy. “Ah crap, they’re both lost in their thoughts…” Ryuji shrugs. “Come on! There’s more, I know there is!”  
“R-right. Sorry…” Akira shakes his head to regain his focus. This fluffs up his hair a little bit, intriguing Yusuke enough that he starts playing with it by gently pulling at the ends of it with the tips of his fingers. “After our session was over, we went to eat…I took Yusuke down a nearby street that had a few places to choose from. We chose the place with authentic Italian food. We both enjoyed the food, maybe I should bring you guys there sometime!” He continues.  
“Woah, so like…spaghetti and shit? Dude, that sounds great!” Ryuji says, now smiling brightly.   
“What about Italian Pizza? Is it any different to Dominos?” Futaba asks, looking rather eager. “…ain’t Dominos American, or something? Italian Pizza's 'prolly different.” Ryuji tries to answer.   
“Heh, maybe we can try a taste test!” Akira responds, smiling back at Ryuji. “After we ate, we just went home. I think someone was eyeing us on the bus during the ride. But we got back home without much hassle. Thank Yusuke helped me cook dinner for my parents, we cooked-“

“…aren’t you forgetting something, Akira?” Yusuke cuts him off, twirling his fingers in Akira’s hair.  
Akira goes bright red. Both Futaba and Ryuji lean into the screen, holding back their snorts at Akira’s expression.  
“I….initiated our first kiss before we went inside.” Akira says, looking away to try and hide his deep red blush.

Before Futaba or Ryuji can react, there’s a loud and panicked “MEOW!” From Akira’s bedroom window.  
“Ah!” Yusuke yelps as a black cat lands on his head, forcing it down. As part of a chain reaction, Yusuke accidentally pushes Akira forward a bit, and this causes Akira to almost knock the laptop off the bed, but he catches it just in time.  
“YOU TWO DID WHAT?”  
“M-morgana?!” Yusuke flinches, now trying to get Morgana off his head.

“That was quite the dramatic entrance, Mona!” Futaba giggles, trying to make sure they hear her over Ryuji’s laughing.  
Yusuke eventually pulls Morgana off of his head and gives him a bit of a look. “Have you not heard of knocking?” He scolds lightly. Morgana wiggles about in his grip. “Hey! I wasn’t told that you’d be here! I went to relieve myself in the afternoon and when I came back, Akira was gone! And it’s not like his parents can understand me!”  
“Morgana, calm down.” Akira says, carefully taking him from Yusuke once he sets the laptop back on a solid surface. He then begins gently petting Morgana. “I’ll let you out of my room for food in a little bit.” He hums. Morgana purrs happily in response. Yusuke rubs the back of his head. “Sorry about this, you two, I…hm? Ryuji…”  
“Oh?” Futaba turns to look back at Ryuji. He almost looks like he just passed out from laughing. “Ahhh, Ryuji’s gonna be fine. Don’t worry so much, Inari! Anyway, how was the kiss? Is Akira a good kisser?” Morgana mews to that, rather amused by the question, Akira turns his head again as the question is rather embarrassing coming from Futaba. “I…don’t know. I enjoyed it, but I don’t know what makes a good kisser…I’m sorry. I cannot answer you properly, Futaba.” Yusuke replies.  
Having caught his breath again, Ryuji sits up and leans back near the camera. “Sorry about that. It’s just…I’ve only seen stuff like that on stupid cat videos. It was just…so funny…” Ryuji says, holding back tears of laughter. “Ah! That’s a great idea, Ryuji!” Futaba says out of the blue. “…eh? What is?” Ryuji gives her a strange look. “Do the long cat thing with Mona, Akira!” Futaba requests.  
Akira laughs a little bit and nods. He sits up and then lifts Morgana’s upper half. “Hey! Put my upper half down!” Morgana meows. Futaba seems pleased, clapping lightly. “Aha! Mona looks so cute!”  
“Alright, Morgana…let’s get you out of here. I’ll get your dinner out.” Akira says. He lowers Morgana and then gets off the bed. Yusuke watches him as he opens the door and walks out.

“So, while it’s just you, I wanted to ask something…” Ryuji starts, which alerts Yusuke to focus on the screen. “Tell me, why him? You had girls fawning all over you, and you turned them all down. But then you met him, and…”  
Yusuke is silent for a while, but upon clearing his throat, he answers. “…I’ve never been interested in women in that way. Men on the other hand…it’s more complicated, I’ll put it that way. And then when I met Akira…yes, I brushed him off at first as I did with you, Ryuji, but…he was persistent with me. It took me the longest time to find out he wanted to help me become the best version of myself I could be…but when I figured it out, that’s when it clicked. That’s when I knew I had fallen for him. He never gave up on me, and considering my past and then current position…he’s what I needed, but didn’t deserve.”  
“Dude….that’s…” Ryuji trails off, at a loss for words.  
“I get it.” Futaba says, smiling back. “You guys all helped me become the Futaba I am right now, and Akira is my Key item, he lead the charge! I understand how he means so much to you, Yusuke. Treat him well, alright?”  
“Morgana’s been fed! Now we have the rest of the night to ourselves.” Akira says as he walks back in, closing the door behind him. “Ah, great! I was thinking we could-“   
Ryuji is cut off by an off-screen voice. “KIDS! IT’S HERE!” The voice calls.  
“…never mind.” Ryuji shakes his head. “Yay! The Dominos we ordered is here! Let’s go eat, Ryuji! TTYL!” Futaba finishes off before the call is ended by her.

As Akira sits back on the bed, Yusuke is left staring at the screen of the laptop, unsure of what to say next. Akira leans closer and slowly closes the laptop lid. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be free tomorrow too.” He assures.  
Yusuke shakes his head. “It’s not that, it’s…” He trails off. Akira picks up the laptop and goes to place it back on the desk. “Then…what is it?” Akira asks.  
“I’m sorry, I’m not very versed in how to express myself, you know this.” Yusuke explains, then taking a deep breath. “But…well, you don’t have to give me a gift in return for what I’ve done. Just being with you is enough of a gift for me.”  
Akira pauses. But then he smiles. “Oh Yusuke…” He falls onto the bed, arms wide open as he hugs Yusuke. They both fall down so they’re lying on the bed. They share soft laughter as they relax into each other’s embrace.


	7. Epilouge

“MMMFFF-“  
“That did the trick.” 

Morgana then hops off the bed, and stares at Akira, who woke up in a panic as he was just being suffocated by Morgana laying on him. Akira turns to face him. Before Akira can say anything, Morgana speaks instead. “Your dad is making breakfast as we speak. You should remind him to make enough for Yusuke, too. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Morgana jumps twice, one onto the bed and second out the open window.

Akira then looks over at Yusuke, still sleeping soundly. It would almost be a shame to wake him. But it must be done. Akira leans down and places a soft kiss on Yusuke’s forehead. Within seconds, Yusuke’s eyes flutter open.

“Oh…what time is it?” He asks, looking up at Akira.  
“It’s almost time for breakfast.” Akira answers, laughing softly. “Come on, let’s get up.”  
“Can I have just one more minute…with you?” Yusuke requests.  
Unable to say no, Akira nods. He lies back down next to Yusuke. “Just one.”


End file.
